Chapter 829 Closing of the Garden <TOC> Chapter 831 Tainted Blood Shadow Dagger
Translator: SumTLMan
Angel stood at the gateway to Pat Manor.
Before he could even step in, he could already see a blossoming branch peeking out over the wall. The familiar scent stirred memories that had long been buried deep within Angel’s heart.
Before he could fully immerse himself in the nostalgia, he felt a strange atmosphere. Something was observing him. Lifting his gaze, he saw, hidden amidst the verdant leaves, a pair of eyes observing him.
With a cold snort, a sudden wind arose, shaking the branches and causing a rustling sound. A plump owl, flapping its not-so-large wings, flew towards the interior of the manor.
“If I’m not mistaken, that owl seems to be wearing a monocle?” Angel muttered under his breath, his brow furrowed. If that was the case, it would mean something he didn’t want to see happening had occurred.
Even for a magical creature, an owl wouldn’t wear a monocle, an obvious item of alchemy.
A proxy scout, or an alchemical familiar?
In other words, there was an unknown transcendental entity within the manor?
A feeling of unease clenched Angel’s heart. If there was indeed a transcendental entity within the manor, would they have noticed the signs on Mentor Jon? If they had… Angel had no choice but to start considering the worst-case scenario.
“I’d like to see who’s changing the rules of the manor,” Angel advanced, pushing open the door without any hesitation.
Upon entering, he was greeted by a field of wheat.
There were still people working in the wheat field. As Angel stepped through the door, the laboring servant raised his head to look over. At first, his expression was relaxed, but when he realized that the visitor was a stranger, anxiety washed over his face and he hurriedly waved for him to leave.
“What is George up to, allowing strangers in?” The servant raised his head to look at the large tree at the entrance. Not spotting the owl that was supposed to be watching, he slightly relaxed, hurriedly dropped his tools, and ran over.
“Young man, you better not go any further. While the watcher is away, you should leave quickly.”
“Don’t you recognize me?” Angel looked at the servant, whom he didn’t seem to have seen before.
As the servant reached out to push him away, Angel deftly dodged him, “Who is this watcher you speak of? The owl?”
“You’ve seen the watcher?” The servant’s expression froze before turning into one of fear, “Then there’s no hope left… oh, you… What on earth is George doing!”
After saying that, a sense of regret flashed in the servant’s eyes. He no longer tried to push Angel away and, sighing, he walked towards the wheat field.
“Where is Viscount Pat?” Angel asked.
“Do you know the Viscount? Alas, even if you do, it won’t help… He can’t save you either. These are the rules, unbreakable rules.” The servant muttered to himself, unwilling to say more.
Angel had no desire to waste time with this servant. He strode directly towards the interior. However, he had barely taken two steps when a hoot suddenly echoed.
Angel lifted his head to see the owl that had flown away earlier was now fluttering in mid-air.
“Are you a proxy scout?” Looking into the owl’s bright eyes, Angel could fairly judge that it wasn’t an alchemical pet. If it wasn’t a proxy scout, it had to be a magical creature.
The owl didn’t respond. Its brown feathers bristled, and its green eyes narrowed. A fireball shot through its distinctive monocle, appearing in mid-air, aimed straight at Angel.
An invisible hand swatted, extinguishing the fireball before it could reach Angel.
“Using elemental attacks in the Old Land Continent, it seems you’re quite confident in yourself.” As Angel’s words fell, an invisible hand of magic reached towards the sky.
The owl seemed to sense the energy fluctuation. It swiftly ascended, attempting to fly higher.
But before it could rise, a sense of oppression descended from above. Looking up, a seemingly unremarkable grey-feathered bird with sanguine eyes stared back, a mocking smile in its gaze.
Before the owl could react, the hand of magic grabbed it, pulling it from the sky.
The owl hooted anxiously, but Angel watched it calmly, “I know you understand my words. Tell me, where did you come from, who is your master… Otherwise, I will kill you.”
The servant toiling in the wheat field recognized the hooting sound and knew that the observer had returned. He lowered his gaze, sighed, and couldn’t bear to see the young man’s misfortune. However, after a while, he didn’t hear any human screams, but the owl’s hoots were filled with distress.
Lifting his head, he saw the terrifying observer, astonishingly, held in the young outsider’s hand?!
No, wait, where’s the hand? The observer was suspended in the air, immobilized!
A chill ran through the servant’s heart. He knew he couldn’t intervene in this situation. He carefully crouched in the wheat field, secretly observing the situation through the cracks in the wheat.
“It doesn’t say anything? It just keeps mumbling that trespassers must die?” Angel looked at Toby floating in mid-air, who was acting as a translator.
“Since you won’t speak, there’s no other way.” Angel casually cast a Nightmare Fear spell, then grabbed the panic-stricken owl, heading into the manor.
Although he threatened to kill it, he did indeed harbor such thoughts. However, given the unclear situation, this owl couldn’t die just yet.
Angel passed through the wheat field, and the main fortress was already clearly visible.
Apart from the strange and uncanny atmosphere permeating the air, the surrounding scenery hadn’t changed much since he left.
The core residential area also has a large gate, and a series of fences have been erected. Angel stood on the outskirts, able to peer through the fences to observe the activity within, a bustling parade of servants, some of whom he recognized.
For instance, there was Ollie, who was walking toward the tea garden. She used to be Angel’s personal maid, catering to his every need.
The tea garden was located in the outer area, and Ollie was leaving through another gate. As she carried the tea basket along the fence, her peripheral vision caught sight of a figure standing outside the main gate.
Curiosity piqued, she turned her gaze in that direction. Upon recognizing the tall youth at the gate, she paused in bewilderment for a moment. Then, as if a lightning bolt of memory struck her, she excitedly pointed at Angel. A name teetered on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to call it out. As if voicing his name would cause him to vanish into thin air.
She approached step by step, opened the main gate, and stood in front of Angel.
“Are you… Master Angel?”
“Ollie, it’s been a long time,” Angel replied, his eyes twinkling with a radiant smile. “Tsk, tsk, your face is still swollen.”
His familiar tone and voice immediately triggered Ollie’s memories of the tender youth from four years ago. Her eyes welled up with tears, “Master, I’ve told you many times, I have an apple-shaped face… It’s not swollen!”
“Either way, it’s all the same. You’re just chubby,” Angel shrugged.
Their conversation, along with Ollie’s excited voice, attracted the attention of many servants. Recognizing Angel, they all had a flash of excitement in their eyes.
They flocked around him, forming a human barrier.
At that moment, Angel suddenly looked over their shoulders. Everyone turned to look, and saw the stout Head Maid Mana, clumsily approaching. The crowd parted to make way for her, and upon seeing Angel, Mana rushed forward excitedly, covering her mouth just like Ollie had.
Before Mana could exchange pleasantries with Angel, her eyes caught sight of a dazed owl, helplessly suspended mid-air, caught in the talons of a small gray bird. Her heart pounded in alarm, and she quickly pulled a nearby maid aside, whispering, “Go and fetch the Viscount quickly, tell him Master Angel has returned.”
The maid nodded and sprinted towards the main fortress.
Only then did Mana slowly approach Angel, “Master Angel…”
Her words were abruptly cut off when Angel forcefully pushed her away. Before she could comprehend what had happened, she heard a fierce whistling wind whiz past her ear, followed by the terrified screams of the maids.
Once she was helped up by Ollie, she saw a pit near where she had stood. If she had remained there… The thought sent a chill down Mana’s spine.
“Head Maid Mana, it seems that Master is… is fighting with that… that Watcher?” Ollie’s trembling voice reached Mana’s ears.
With a sudden jerk of her head, she peered ahead, confirming her suspicions: the Watcher was indeed locked in combat with Angel.
The owl, initially shrouded in Angel’s spell of nightmare-induced fear, had shaken off its stupor. Its eyes bore a cutting fierceness, and its plumage had taken on a golden hue. Each golden feather seemed to possess immense destructive power.
Angel deftly sidestepped, dodging a wave of attacks.
Lifting his gaze, he saw countless golden feathers swirling around the owl, their pointed tips aimed directly at him.
Angel, however, didn’t evade. The rain of golden feathers fell on him, but when they finally hit the ground, the owl realized it had been attacking an illusion.
“Who are you? You’re not the same owl as before,” a voice echoed from behind the owl.
Startled, the owl twisted its head 180 degrees, only to see Angel, adorned with black and gold rune-like patterns, hovering in mid-air, staring at it placidly.
It spat out another stream of fire, but it passed through Angel just as before.
Another illusion!
Repeatedly, its attacks hit nothing but illusions, driving it to the brink of madness.
As the owl was relentlessly attacking, Angel was standing calmly beside the head maid of Mana.
However, the head maid of Mana queried in confusion, “Master Angel, what’s wrong with the… Watcher?”
“Merely a trick,” Angel replied nonchalantly, “By the way, Head Maid of Mana, what’s the deal with this owl? Are my brother and my mentor safe?”
“Your brother is perfectly fine, and I’ve already sent someone to fetch him. But as for your mentor… I’m not so sure. Ever since he was sealed in the ice coffin, he’s been kept with Viscount Pat.” The head maid of Mana paused, “As for the Watcher… sigh, I don’t know much about that. You should ask the Viscount when he arrives.”
While Angel was conversing with the head maid of Mana, the owl flying in the sky suddenly fell silent.
Simultaneously, a voice chilling to the bone echoed from the owl’s beak, “An illusion?”
Upon hearing the voice, Angel quickly raised his head. Even though the owl was still trapped within the illusion, its eyes seemed to penetrate the barrier of the illusion spell nodes, staring silently at Angel, “Who are you?”
Chapter 829 Closing of the Garden <TOC> Chapter 831 Tainted Blood Shadow Dagger